Work Begins On Fau Retail Center

BOCA RATON — A stretch of land along Glades Road is undergoing a big change as bulldozers and other heavy construction equipment knock down trees, clear shrubbery and make way for a large retail project on land across from Florida Atlantic University.

What was once a 22-acre forest will give way to a 165,709-square-foot complex dubbed University Commons.

"Even though green space is good, it was not well maintained," said Raymond Nelson, director of facilities planning at the university. "It was not very suitable for a park. I think [the complex] is going to be good use for it."

Boca Raton-based Schmier & Feurring Properties is beginning construction of the complex valued at some $20 million, with a completion date tentatively scheduled for late next year, Nelson said.

Bookstore operator Barnes & Noble Booksellers plans to take about 30,000 square feet at University Commons, according to the blueprint of the complex. Barnes & Noble also operates the bookstore on campus, but university officials said the new store will offer a wider variety of reading material. The company will continue to operate the campus bookstore.

Whole Foods Market, the nation's largest natural foods chain, and Organized Living, which specializes in storage products, each will take 23,260 and 24,450 square feet respectively, according to the blueprint. The stores will be the first in Palm Beach County for those companies.

City leaders have said they aren't too thrilled about the project. They have questioned the university's decision to build an off-campus shopping center.

"I think it's an awfully intense project for a site, and I'm disappointed that FAU is not going through the city's process," Councilman Dave Freudenberg said. "They're going to have a sea of asphalt."

The city, however, has no control over university land.

Because the project is state land, FAU doesn't have to follow Boca Raton's strict development rules. Freudenberg said the project "sets a very dangerous precedent."

He said some developers are trying to give land to FAU so they can "build what they want" without following city codes. "It's more expensive to do it our way," Freudenberg said.

The city's chamber of commerce is staying out of the spat over University Commons.

"It's a significant economic impact and I assume it's going to benefit the university," said Al Travasos, a former council member and president of the chamber.

FAU officials and students said they consider the shopping center a "support facility" for the college, providing goods, services and jobs.

Staff Writer Kathy Bushouse contributed to this report. C. Ron Allen can be reached at crallen@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6611.